Legacy of One, Fate of Two
by ForgottenLuminescence
Summary: In which Dante experiences fatherhood and a warped concept of "two halves make a whole". Congratulations, Mr. Sparda, your wife's given birth to fraternal twins. OCs alert. Semi-AU. Rated for Dante's potty mouth.
1. Theodore and Azalea

**This is just a random thing I wanted to write when a thought came into my mind, "If a demon and a human have half-demon children, what about two half-demons?" So, here it is!  
Pairings: DantexOC, OCxOC, slight DantexLady and DantexTrish**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry because if I did, Arkham would've been revived and re-killed over and over again.**

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**_If I don't make it, Dante, promise me you'll take care of them and love them in my absence?_**

**_Don't talk like that, dammit! You'll be fine!_**

**_Always the optimist, aren't you? But I'm afraid I'm not talking about worst case scenarios…Dante, just promise me? Please…_**

**_…Alright, but if you keep talking like that, I'm gonna name them Dark and Gloomy after their mother._**

**_Haha…you always know how to cheer me up._**

--

_The light of the emergency room ceased as two women came out. A white-haired man who has been waiting outside for what seemed to be eons rushed up to them. The doctor removed her face mask, revealing an ominously serious expression._

_"Doctor, how are they?" the man asked, the worry in his voice as prominent as the anxiety in his ice-blue eyes._

_The nurse behind the doctor smiled gently. "Both babies have been safely delivered."_

_A spark of relief flashed on the man's worried expression. He was about to sigh and even laugh at his own pessimism when the doctor finally spoke up._

_"But we've failed to save your wife…I'm sorry…"_

* * *

The dirt-caked streets were almost ablaze in the heat of the afternoon. Metals seemed to glow under the scorching Sun and the humid air reeked of burnt matter, though nothing really caught on fire…yet. People rushed to the nearest shade and others ran into wherever there was air-conditioning. Only the bravest or desperate ones dared to step out into the Sun.

Due to the intense weather outside, there was hardly any business in Devil May Cry. Dante sat with his legs crossed and perked on his desk, with a slice of pizza in his mouth and a magazine in his hands, as usual. The entire office was silent, save for the whirring of the ceiling fan and the occasional chewing sounds by the devil hunter himself. His blue eyes skimmed through the tiny font and the distasteful coloring of the article when…

**_Crash!!!_**

A scowl flashed on his face at the same time as a vein popped on his head. Swinging his feet off his desk, Dante tossed the magazine on said table and stomped off to the room at the back of his shop. The very room he kept all the Devil Arms he obtained. As he reached the door furthest from the office, voices could be heard on the other side. Throwing in a good hard kick to open the rickety wooden door, he shouted, "ALRIGHT! WHO BROKE WHAT THIS TIME?!"

Upon his 'grand' entrance, Dante saw two children, a boy and a girl no older than 8, lying on the floor and looking up at him with different expressions each. Though they both had silver hair streaked with a bright, stunning gold, the boy had strong sapphire eyes while the girl's eyes were of a magnificent royal purple. Decked in black baggy pants, a black t-shirt with a navy-blue long-sleeved shirt underneath and sporting a spiky hairstyle that seemed to take hours to do, the boy was ostentatiously and particularly rebellious-looking. On the other hand, the girl adorned brown short and puffy-sleeved blouse, lavishly decorated by ribbons and laces, a black knee-length skirt over God-knows-how many layers of petticoat and had her hair in a rather cute twin pigtails.

Dante watched, still waiting for an answer, as the boy helped the girl up. But, a second vein popped on his head when the chains of their necklaces got entangled.

"Answer me now! What happened, Theo?!" he yelled at the boy, who rolled his eyes and simply shrugged in reply. It wasn't unusual for him to be blamed first anyway.

"Father, it was my fault, Brother was just helping me," the girl immediately interjected before Dante could ask further.

"Then what were you two doing in here?"

Theo shot a defiant look at him before he slurred, "Lea's just cleaning up and couldn't reach the others up there, so I tried carrying her."

Hearing that brief yet sufficient explanation, Dante sighed in mild frustration and placed a hand to his slightly aching head. "Okay fine, but next time, use a ladder or a chair for God's sake."

"I'm sorry," Lea murmured, almost inaudible as she hung her head remorsefully. The repentance in her faint voice somewhat softened Dante's exasperation. Sighing once more, the man knelt on his left knee in front of the two children and patted her on the head.

"It's alright, Lea," he smiled kindly. Getting up, he walked over to Theo, who continued to glare at him insolently, and gave him a good noogie.

"Ow! Dad, that hurts!" Theo barked, struggling in his father's strange act of discipline.

"C'mon, Theo, you're the older one, this little bit of pain's nothing!" Dante chuckled. Their roughhousing--mostly Theo's squirming--eventually led to a fall. A loud thud resounded in the room as Dante's rear end hit the floor and Theo landed on top of him. A second of silence later, both father and son burst into laughter at their own apparent clumsiness, while poor Lea was all worked up about whether they were alright.

"Seriously now, Theo," Dante started after the fit of laughter subsided. "You're the older twin and as I've said so many damned times, you need to look out for your little sis--"

"I know, Dad." the young boy interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure. There'll be times when you two won't be together and I believe both of you are old enough so," he paused. "I'm gonna have to start training you guys."

"Training?" Theo and Lea inquired in unison, exchanging curious glances.

* * *

Theo stared up at the ceiling, sprawled on the worn couch while Lea stood looking blankly out of the shop's window. Dante had reluctantly gone on a mission with Lady, leaving them alone for the rest of the day since their father's missions often take hours. The twins remained silent until the younger decided to break the overpowering stillness.

"Brother, what did Father mean by 'training'?" Lea mumbled, her near-inaudible volume was impossible for a normal person to hear, but Theo was her twin and not a normal child.

"Dunno, probably some swords-and-guns stuff; you know how the old man is," he replied, yawning.

"Oh…"

Once again, silence filled the shop. Theo stole a glance at his sister, only to see that she was staring outside as if in a trance. Lea does that sometimes. Heaven knows what she could be thinking of when she does…The elder twin mussed his spiked hair in frustration and sat up. He interlocked his fingers and, casting his gaze onto the floor, he asked, "Hey, sis? What d'ya think Dad does on missions? I mean, the old man never tells us and neither do Lady or Trish."

Hearing no reply from Lea, he continued, "And what about that room you were cleaning? I hear voices when Dad's in there by himself. Then he starts yelling all these words I don't know--but I think one of them started with F or something. Anyway, sometimes Dad's customers come here like they're chased by sharks and other times Dad comes back with a new sword or some other thingamajig."

By that last statement, Lea was seated right beside him, yet with the blank expression she perpetually has on. She placed her small hand on Theo's as her meek voice mumbled, "I know, Brother, but Father must have some reason to not tell us…"

"Yeah, right. Or maybe he thinks we're just kids," he snorted, earning himself a light giggle from Lea.

"Brother, we _are_ kids." she grinned a little.

Theo huffed and rested his cheek on the crown of his sister's head, taking in the scent of the rose shampoo Trish had picked for the girl, as the latter leaned on his shoulder. The twins sat like this throughout the rest of the day, submerged in their own thoughts, and both eventually fell asleep. Needless to say, when Dante and Lady returned from their mission, they were more than a little pleasantly surprised to see them cuddled and snoozing away on the old couch.

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**And that's the first chapter! I kinda have the plot in my mind and written on my notepad but ye be warned, this is just a drabble and I will take some time to update! Lastly, please review! If you have the patience to read this load of crap, please do spare some to write a review!**

**-Lotus Kurosawa Sae  
**

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	2. Training and Twins

**Whoa, finally done with the second chappie and lemme tell ya, this chapter went in a different way than how I initially wanted it to go. But the end result is still quite okay haha.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry and/or its expansions because if I did, pigs would've sprouted wings and took to the skies by now.  
**

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Theo focused as he took his stance, preparing to strike. His mind quieted down, his breathing slow and deep. He knew he had to be careful for two distinct reasons. Shifting his weight from his front foot to the back, he pushed himself off the ground and broke out into a full charge at his opponent.

A loud crack resonated as a wooden sword clashed against another. Theo stared into his opponent's eyes before the latter suddenly thrust hard against his sword and utilized the momentum to execute a back-flip. He hardly regained his composure from the surprise when a part of his still-confused mind ordered him to charge. Theo came at his opponent from seemingly every direction, only to have his attacks dodged, parried perfectly or simply thrown back at him. He was getting rather pissed, you might say.

Meanwhile, Dante watched from the sidelines, noting every last fault in his son's attempted style and mentally praising his adversary's seamless defense tactics. Shaking his head in disappointment, he decided that he should probably give the boy some extra coaching. "Theo! Focus and find a weak spot, dammit!"

Theo widened his eyes the instant he heard it, the same time as devilishly ingenious thought came into mind. He took a last swing and stepped back, easing into his stance once more. His opponent took on a different stance and charged at him. Just as Theo wanted. He ran towards his challenger, leapt high above right before their swords met and landed behind the slightly confused adversary. The length of his wooden sword rested on his opponent's shoulder. And that finished the match.

"Finally gotcha, sis," Theo smirked.

Lea turned her head a little, just enough to show her brother an ambiguous grin. "I guess you did, but you seem to be forgetting something…"

Unexpectedly, she stooped down and swung her left leg out in a low round-house kick. Her heel collided with Theo's lower calf, causing the latter to fall backwards on his rear end.

"Hey! That wasn't fair!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore behind.

"All's fair in love and war, Brother dearest," Lea giggled and held out her hand. Theo smirked at her reply before clapping his hand onto his sister's and allowed her to pull him up. She might be meek most of the time, but Lea had great potential when it comes to sword-practice and considering that they've only started training two weeks ago, she was getting good.

"Alright now, you two," Dante cut in, approaching the twins. "Let's review, shall we? Firstly, Lea, great job, but you need to watch your back, got it?"

Lea smiled shyly and nodded, fiddling with the tip of her wooden sword bashfully.

"Good, I'll tell Lady the rest. Now you go back to the office. I wanna talk to Theo alone," he continued, following which his daughter immediately scurried off. Switching his attention to Theo, Dante sighed, crouching down to meet his eyes. "Theo, what's the matter, buddy? Only newbies make those mistakes you did! We practiced so many times, for damned sake. How're you supposed to protect your sister if you can't even beat her?"

"Not my fault, she has two people teaching her," Theo retorted. Not another lecture, he moaned in his mind. At least, not with the lecturer clueless about the subject.

"But this isn't about that, right? Look, Theo, I'm not gonna be around forever and Lea's…different from you, and me. That's why she has Lady and Trish teaching her and also why I need you to protect her,"

"What do you mean by different?"

Smiling slightly, Dante set a gloved hand on his son's shoulder and replied, "I'll explain when you two are older. Maybe next year, or the year after that, who knows. You'll understand then. The important thing now's that you have to work harder. Okay, buddy?"

Theo hung his head, staring at the ground. His response came out surprisingly soft, "Yeah, Dad."

"That's my boy," Dante let out a chuckle and ruffled Theo's hair, resulting in the latter yelling "Hey!" and both of them doubling up. That was one of the many special moments Dante shared with Theo. One second, they could be dead-serious and the next, they could be rolling on the floor with laughter. However, their little bonding session was cut short when a loud voice penetrated the shop's walls.

"Dante! Are you in?"

Lea rushed to the front door and creaked it open just a bit to see who stood behind. The familiar sight of a young woman in her early twenties, with curly blonde hair and big teal eyes made her beam wide. "Miss Patty!" she chirped, opening the door.

"Lea! Long time no see!" Patty exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"It has only been three weeks, Miss Patty," Lea giggled, breaking from the embrace.

"Really? It felt longer than that, you know. Dear God, what are you wearing? And why are you all sweaty?" Patty commented with a disapproving pout as she stepped into the shop.

Casting a quick glance at her aqua tracksuit, Lea replied sheepishly, "I was training with Father and Brother."

Almost as if on cue, Dante and Theo emerged from the training room. Both frowned at Patty, who had her arms akimbo when she saw Dante.

"Dante! Why isn't Lea wearing the clothes I picked for her?" she snapped.

"That _monstrosity_? Patty, it's the middle of the bloody summer and you want her to wear Lollipop?!" Dante shot back.

"She looks cute in it! And it's called _Lolita_, you oaf!"

"I don't give a damn what it's freaking called!"

"You don't 'give a damn' about anything other than pizza and that trashy coat!"

While the two adults engaged in a full-blown yelling battle, Theo and Lea sneaked off to the rooftop; the twins always had a thing for it up there. On the rooftop, everything becomes quiet and it would be like they're the only ones in the world. It makes a great place to clear things up. They settled themselves on an old but still sturdy pipe as a makeshift bench. An uncomfortable silence made its way into the atmosphere since the twins took an interest in the ground.

"What did Father talk to you about?" Lea asked softly, not leaving her gaze.

"…Nothin'. Just some nagging about letting a girl beat me," Theo mumbled, not even bothering to enunciate, causing his statement to sound like some other language. It was not unintentional; he didn't want Lea to know what Dante had said.

As soon as those words entered and translated from Theo-speak in Lea's brain, she gasped, "Wait, you **let** me beat you?"

That made Theo shoot up, revealing an awkward grin plastered across his face. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and replied quickly, "Uh…N-No, nope. Not at all!"

"Brother, you know you shouldn't! That would be cheating!" Lea pouted, standing up with her hands on her hips. "Did you think I am not able to handle myself?"

Theo sighed, hanging his head in defeat. He really didn't want her to know and for the record, if his father got to know of this whole fiasco, he'll never hear the end of it…not to mention revoked videogame privileges. Well, the truth has to come out sooner or later. Then, looking up with a small smile, he explained, "It's not that and I know it's cheating but it…y'know, it really makes me happy when…you smile and every time you win, that smile you'll put on…"

Lea stared at her brother in disbelief as the latter paused, shifting his gaze back to the ground. A moment of torturous silence passed--who knew there were so many crickets on top of Devil May Cry?--and a cute little grin broke through on her face. She wrapped her thin arms around Theo's neck in a loving embrace, giggling softly, "Brother, you are such an idiot."

The elder twin gawked off into thin air with shocked eyes before a confused smile shakily displayed itself. Strangely, he kind of hoped she would shout at him or something, but then again, Lea has never raised her voice before. "I know." Theo smirked, returning the hug.

Behind, on the staircase that lead to the rooftop and away from sight, Dante sat on the middle section of the stairs. Well, he got kicked out of the shop--yes, you did read that right--as Patty insisted that she has to clean up the 'mess' in the office because "she knows Dante's too lazy and disorganized to do it himself". So here he sat and he happened to overhear his children's conversation.

"Lea, don't tell the old man, 'kay?" Theo's nervous voice interrupted the train of thought in Dante's mind.

"Don't worry, Brother dearest, I won't tell," Lea giggled.

Dante smiled inwardly at their last lines. He leaned back so that he looked directly up at the sky. In the background, the twins' lively chat continued as, all too suddenly, flashbacks raced in and out of his mind. Voices, sounds and feelings rushed back as memories. All those moments in the past when his life wasn't about hunting demons. Lifting his amulet to his line of sight, Dante sighed softly. The red gem dangled from the clean silver chain and glittered under the Sun's rays, diminishing the fact that it supposedly held the color of blood. It would be hard for an outsider to accept that a mere trinket could have been a factor in the world's destruction.

Dante moved his amulet back into his pocket and stared forlornly into the blue beyond brilliance sky.

"If only we could've been like this, Verge…"

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**Did anyone expect that 'ending'? So much for everything else...I really spent some time figuring out how should Theo explain his action until I didn't realize I'm taking too long to update. Sorry for the wait, people, and thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them XDXD The next chapter will in in late 'cuz of my mid-years so sorry again for the wait-to-be.**

**Lotus Kurosawa Sae(Damn, I really wish this is my real name...)**

**P.S.: Please review since you had the patience to sit through two chapters of lousy work XDXD.**

**PS2: BE HAPPY AND THANKFUL FOR ALL YOU GOT, MAN!!!  
**


	3. Secrets and Discoveries

Lightning tore its way through the overcast sky as thunder followed in its wake. The cold night wind howled, mercilessly cutting into people's flesh where their clothes failed to cover. Rain fell with the might of hammers, bombarding the ground with every drop. In the midst of the pouring rain, a shop at the end of an alleyway stood out. Its red neon glowed undauntedly, distinctly spelling out "Devil May Cry". Now, inside the shop, two children sat on the wooden desk, alone as the shop owner was, apparently, out of the building.

Both of the twins had a distinctly bored expression displayed on their face, one more subtle than the other. There was no sound other than the rhythmical tapping of their heels against the old wood of the desk. They seemed to form a perfect tempo, accompanied by the rain's pattering outside. Yet, the very entertainment that was available would be it at the moment. Not that everything else was unavailable; Theo just got bored with his videogames and Lea…well, Lea hardly does anything but space off anyway. And considering the fact that Dante disallowed them to practice without his supervision, the twins really have _nothing_ to do. Actually, Theo tried prank-calling, until he realized he had no outside connections other than the three women and occasionally Enzo, all of whom made no mention of their phone numbers to the two kids.

So, that leads to nothing the least bit amusing to do. And re-reading the textbooks was not entertaining…at least, not after reading it ten times that very day and God knows how many miserable times before that.

As mentioned before, Theo and Lea had no outside connections. Their education was tended to by a very generous Patty--after Dante freaked out for two weeks straight trying to figure out how to teach his children something that he paid little attention to as a child--who bought them textbooks, assessment books and the like. She had even applied for a daily newspaper delivery service to make sure they knew what went on in the world outside. And as for their clothing, let's just say that Trish and Lady were thoughtful enough to go shopping with Dante several times.

Anyway, back to the scene. Theo had shifted to a sprawled position on the desk, glaring up at the ceiling with all the frustration he could muster. It's been hours since Dante left for his mission when it seemed very easy, since the twins managed to overhear the details. Bring a case to a church on the far side of the city, how hard can that be? There was no way that their father could've taken so long.

Swinging her legs up, Lea got off the desk and started to wander around the shop. Seeing as there was nothing to do, _anything _would be more interesting than hearing one's own thoughts. She already did that everyday, so maybe walking around would steer her mind away from inappropriate musings. As she took step after step, Lea's mind began to fill with merely putting one foot before another and remaining vigilant for turns. She could hear her brother's feet tapping in the background, but it bothered her not.

Lea neared the storage room where she had attempted to clean once. Dante had kept many weaponry inside and he, surprisingly, trusted the twins to allow them to enter when they like. The young girl placed a hand on the doorknob absently while noting the foot imprint left by her rather violent father. She opened the door slowly, unintentionally causing an unpleasant creak. Maybe that's why Dante prefers to kick the door?

Lea's eyes scanned the room in detail, from the perpetually dusty floor to each and every one of the unique weapons. Strangely, it always seemed that each time she enters, it would look different than how it was before and not just because new weapons are added from time to time. She approached the wall where Dante displayed Aphrodite, a rather beautiful and ornate revolver. Somehow, Lea sensed something--a soul?--within the supposedly inanimate firearm. Her hand wandered ahead to touch the head that seemed to glow in a pulsated cadence. Voices rang in her mind, none of them that she recognized, but she could make out what they were saying.

_What is Master Dante's daughter doing here again?_

_I do not know, but Miss Aphrodite seems to be calling out to her, Brother._

_Now, what is that little brat doing? Honestly, letting a puny girl enter as and when she likes…_

_Could it be that Aphrodite is summoning her soul?_

_No! The Master's daughter cannot be awakened now! She is but a child! And Aphrodite's power cannot possibly be wielded in the hands of a--_

_Silence, all of you! Mistress Azalea is able to hear us!_

All at once, the voices vanished as suddenly as they came. Long, slender alabaster-pale fingers merely brushed against the cold metal when Theo opened the door, a deadly serious expression on his face where an apathetic look usually dominated.

* * *

While Lea roamed off, Theo continued to bore virtual holes into the ceiling, adding to the real ones that were previously there. In the torturous silence, save for his tapping, the boredom seemed to taunt him relentlessly. Pretty soon, his thoughts began to stray onto forbidden territory. Why does their father insist on keeping the details of his missions secret from the twins? He said that they were different, what did he mean? Why do they have to wait until they're older before Dante could explain? And what about the weapons in the back room? Did they have something to do with it all?

Theo sighed and tousled his spiked hair in frustration, sitting up. None of those added up…and he had wasted two nights of sleep just wrecking his brains to figure out an answer. His sight shifted slowly from the floor to the picture on the desk. Dante had told them that the woman in there was their grandmother, yet they still knew scat about their _mother_. Every time they asked, either silence would be his reply or something would just pop up, usually in the form of Lady or Trish barging in and setting Dante up on a new mission. As Theo reached this section of his ponderings, he began to pace around with a hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner. He hardly thought about anything _this_ seriously and therefore, he was determined to get an explanation. Perhaps he could try asking his father again--…Wait a minute…

A smirk crawled its way onto Theo's face as an idea surfaced in his mind.

Piercing midnight-blue eyes rested on the drawers of the wooden desk. Come to think of it, the twins have never tried or thought about trying to see what was inside. Theo crouched down and slid open the top drawer without a hint of hesitation. Unsurprisingly, only three empty pizza boxes, a few sauce-stained magazines--is that a picture of woman wearing a bikini?--and two empty cups that might have contained strawberry sundaes.

"Sheesh, old man. Buy a trash bin, will ya?" Theo muttered under his breath, not that he needed to anyway.

The second and last drawer was locked, as the boy spotted the keyhole just above the handle. He gave up on using force to open it after several tries of nearly all of his strength. Theo backed up until he sat against the wall, propping his elbows up on his knees and glaring at the drawer. Something important must be in there, it may not be the answer he seeks, but _anything _would do for a clue.

He was about to try again when a loud bang resounded outside the shop, followed by a whole lot of strange, violent-sounding noises. Amidst the ruckus, Dante's voice could be heard spurting profanities and Trish's voice telling him to keep it down. Theo shot up and ran to the shop's window. What he saw would be seared into his memory for life.

Outside was a band of…monsters attacking Trish and his father. Blood was splattered everywhere, but fortunately neither of the two were injured. The rain pelted on and lightning continued to flash in the darkness. Dante swung Rebellion with skill honed throughout the years, slicing his enemies in half. A crazed smile was fixed onto his face; it was frighteningly evident that he enjoyed the slaughter. One of the monsters charged at him, its scythe brandished and ready to meet flesh, while the white-haired man had his back turned. Before it reached him, however, Trish jumped in. Three ear-piercing gunshots later, the monster laid on the bloodied ground and sank into the shadows. Trish said something to Dante as they fought back to back, but Theo couldn't hear anything from inside.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed up behind the duo at the split-second when they separated. It swung its scythe down, a flash of lightning illuminating the very scene. Blood spattered across the ground as Dante doubled over in the unexpected attack. Theo gasped, backing away from the sight before Dante staggered a little, straightened himself and, with the blade of the scythe still through his torso, beheaded the monster.

By this time, Theo was ready to pass out from shock. It was simply not possible; his father seemed fine even after that assault and the blade was still in him! The only thing that changed was that Dante's former insane grin switched to an annoyed scowl. He whipped out Ebony and Ivory while Trish chuckled and said something that made him roll his eyes. That very same crazed smile resurfaced as he gunned down the remaining two monsters.

"Getting ambushed after a mission, talk about bad timing," Dante complained, glaring at the blood splattered around. "It's gonna take some time to clean this goddamned mess up…"

Trish smirked and, habitually placing a hand on her hip, replied, "Well, that mission _did_ seem too easy."

"Yeah, great bloody luck I have…Hey, Trish, can ya help me with this shitting thing? It. Won't. Freaking. Come. Out." Dante griped, his last statement punctuated by irritated growls as he continued his futile attempt to remove the blade from his chest.

"Alright, alright, just hold still."

While Trish carefully pulled out the scythe, the two of them failed to notice Theo standing in the doorway until the boy spoke up. "Dad…"

Dante looked up from the bloodied blade to face the small figure of his son whose hands trembled in a mix of terror and bewilderment. His mouth hung open, yet words failed to ride with his breath. The deathly stillness was made worse by the rusty stench of blood and Theo's frightened eyes. It was nearly three minutes before Dante decided to break the discomfiture.

* * *

The tips of Lea's fingers only managed to graze the violet-tinted metal of Aphrodite when Theo entered the room, an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face. The twins stared at each other in enigmatic silence until Theo said softly, "Dad wants to talk to us…"

"Father's back from his mission?" Lea inquired, her volume matching that of her brother's.

"…Yeah."

The walk from the storage room to the office was unusually long. Neither of the two children spoke to each other, leaving Lea slightly anxious and confused. She walked behind Theo, her hands fiddling with the crimson satin ribbons of her sepia blouse. Her mind struggled to phrase her worries carefully in order to voice them out with tact. She glanced at the back of Theo's hunter-green jacket then her focus drifted to his hands, which were clenched into fists. That set off every last alert in Lea's head, her brother wouldn't show his agitation like that unless something big happened. But what could be the reason behind his restlessness?

Having come to that single question in her mind, the twins entered the office. Dante sat had pulled out a stool and placed it in front of the couch. He smiled slightly at Theo and Lea as he gestured for them to take a seat. However, something wasn't right…He was holding his coat closed, when he would usually care less about it. Trish stood somewhere behind, leaning against a wall with an unreadable expression on her face. Silence overcame the entire shop as Dante struggled to find some way of explanation that didn't sound the least bit crazy.

The twins watched as their father shifted uncomfortably on his stool, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Guys, there's no easy way for me to tell you this but…y-you know those stories that I used to tell you two?" Dante started lamely. He received mute nods from both children, he continued after a brief moment of awkwardly adjusting the wooden stool he sat on, "…Can you remember what happened in that one about the rebel knight?"

Again, silent nods in response.

"Well, do you remember his name?"

Theo looked at Dante hesitantly, his voice shook a little as he replied, "'Sparda'? But what does a storybook knight have to do with this?"

"He's not exactly…just a storybook knight." the elder male said. "He's…uh…he's kinda your…grandfather."

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**I LIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!! Haha, REALLY REALLY SORRY for the extremely late update! Ending with a cliffhanger--sort of--makes everything worse, no? Not my fault...I had two performances, three projects, hell tons of homework and...stuff. I hope the longer chapter makes it up! And the picture I posted on DeviantArt. Just type in "Dante's Children" or "Theodore and Azalea" and view the one by "SeethingRepentance" and you've got it!**

**Kiren Sae (That's right, no more "Kurosawa", it's Kiren now.)  
**


	4. Demon and Human

"What…do you mean by that, Father?" Lea's voice shook slightly as she spoke. "How can that be? Y-You said he was a _demon_…"

Dante shook his head while his hand kept the lapels of his coat closed. Without meeting his children's eyes, he continued, "I've hoped that you two would be older when I tell you this, but…"

He cast a defeated glance at Theo, who looked away nervously, and sighed. Lea alternated her gaze between the two males, questions building up from the depths of her mind. Ominous thoughts festered like nobody's business, she began to doubt reality itself when Dante released his hold on his coat.

A deep gash ran diagonally down from his left shoulder, sliding dangerously close to where the heart laid beneath, to only inches above his abdomen. Blood was smeared repulsively along the edges of the open wound, tiny fractions of his ribcage peeked out from within his bloodied flesh and, if they looked carefully, Theo and Lea might have seen all the way through to the back of Dante's coat.

Such an injury should have caused immediate death. Theo diverted his attention elsewhere.

"F-Father…" Lea breathed, her hands unconsciously moving to cover her mouth as a light wave of nausea hit.

In response, Dante held up a hand, indicating that he wanted no more to be said, and calmly gestured to his wound. The two pairs of unnerved eyes dragged their sight back to said injury, however reluctant the action was.

Then, right before them, the appalling gash started healing. Blood dried and sank into his skin like sand into a rising tide. The flesh deep inside his chest regenerated and covered the exposed bits of his ribs. Soon, the wound would not stay open, for his skin pulled together, stretching silvery fibers together so that they sewed the aperture shut. A second later, the pale scar left behind darkened rapidly to match the tanned skin surrounding it.

Both Theo and Lea regarded the scene with shocked faces. Their hands unwittingly entwined; Dante recognized the action as something the twins did when they were afraid.

Afraid…

It pained him to see them so fearful of him, but he knew that he must continue.

"Do you see now?" he questioned softly, mentally pushing himself to go on in spite of the tears that were beginning to form in Lea's eyes.

"Your grandfather was a demon. Theo, those monsters you saw out there were demons. Trish is a demon. Your mother and I…we are both half-demons."

"Does that mean that we're demons too?" Theo suddenly spoke up.

Dante stared at him, surprised at the unexpectedly calm query. Smiling, he murmured a short reply, "No."

"What?" Theo's voice came out higher than he wanted.

"You and Lea…I don't know, maybe it's because you're twins or maybe it's because your mother and I are halves, but there's no mistaking," Dante rambled, already flustered by all the explaining he would have to do. "You're a demon, Theo. And Lea's human."

As with everything else that night, what happened next was not anticipated. Theo stood up and bolted out the front door, leaving his father and sister behind. Even Trish, who had moved outside during the confession, was surprised when he ran past her.

She clamped a hand on the boy's shoulder, effectively stopping his departure, and spun him around to face her. The defiant expression her wore made her feel relieved and anxious at the same time. She had feared that he would be more terrified at the revelation, but defiance was not on her list of safe reactions either.

"Hey, Theo. Where are you going?" Trish tried to sound as oblivious as she could, though she already had an idea of the answer.

"Anywhere's better than there," Theo muttered, shaking off the hand on his shoulder and resuming his run away from Devil May Cry.

His small form disappeared into the dark alley. Trish could not bear to leave him along, heaven knows what that child might do, Casting a glance back at the silent office, she sprinted off after him.

* * *

"Let him go. If anything, Trish will keep an eye on him," Dante smiled faintly.

He knew a smile would be inappropriate, but Lea probably needed the reassurance.

"Father, so…I am human?" the younger twin asked, gripping her skirt in place of her brother's hand. "And Theo is a demon?"

"Yeah."

"W-Will priests and exorcists try to hurt him?"

Dante had to chuckle. Here he was, expecting her to be frightened, given her timid nature, but Lea seemed more concerned with Theo's safety than of the fact that she was from a family of demons. Not that he minded anyway; it made him less nervous with her.

"No. I'll make sure they don't."

"Did they hurt Mother or you? Or Grandfather? Or Miss Trish?" Lea looked at him meekly.

Setting a hand on her head and maintaining his smile, Dante shook his head. It was amazing, enviable even, that his daughter would be so worried about all the demons in her life immediately after she was told about them. She reminded him of Vergil, who had been just as calm and levelheaded, but also a little of Kyrie. A little.

Oh boy, if Nero starts acting like an uncle towards Lea and Theo…

"No, we're all fine," Dante said gently.

A moment of silence passed between them, filled with fidgeting and Dante trying to rid his mind of certain traumatic images.

Lea fiddled with the ribbon holding her braided hair together. She barely grasped the gravity of what had been revealed, the rest gnawing away as an ill omen at the back of her mind. Something did not feel right, and it had to do with Theo.

"Father…"

"Yeah?"

"I…" she paused to reconsider her words. "I think something's happened to Brother."

* * *

Theo had never been so far away from Devil May Cry before. He had absolutely no idea where he was, but that did little to stop him. Running faster than he ever did, he pushed his way past the crowds on the streets and spun around corners, on a blind route to nowhere. He could sense his demonic blood racing throughout his body, the peculiar feeling he used to shrug off as adrenalin rush. Even though he was now aware of its true nature, he could hardly bring himself to care.

Too many things clouded his mind.

When Theo finally stopped running, the young demon found himself at where he recognized as a park. He approached the deserted playground and climbed underneath a large slide. Curling himself to a ball on the artificial sand, he began to sort his thoughts out.

The very first thing that came into focus was Lea's face. A usually gentle, absent-minded expression suddenly morphed into one of terror.

Theo cringed at the idea of his sister distancing herself from him out of fear. He ran because he did not wish to see her reaction. If it had been what he assumed, then there would be a solid reason for him to never go back. Lea mattered most, he would rather disappear than see her upset.

"This sucks…" he muttered, resting his forehead against his knees.

Why must he be a demon, of all things? Theo cursed himself for not figuring it out sooner. The way he never caught an illness in his life, the way he had never gotten bruises as easily as his sister did, and how their father never let them answer the door when overly-religious strangers came preaching. The missions their father frequently went on, could they have had to do with demons as well? After all, most of the clients often appeared desperate and scared half to death. Not to mention the fact that Dante owned a whole room full of mysterious, ornate weaponry and named his office "Devil May Cry".

All these little details added up only now, Theo mused bitterly, _after_he was told of his demonic nature.

Suddenly, he recalled the speed his father recovered from that wound. In a bid to test himself, the boy fished out a set of keys from his pockets and, without taking a second to rethink, shoved the jagged edges into his arm.

Shockwaves of pain rippled up from his arm and slammed into his mind, agonizingly bringing into realization what he just did. He gasped and bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out. A few seconds passed before he ripped the bloodied keys out of the lesion and defiantly observed his torn flesh. It resembled his father's injury, albeit smaller and infinitely more painful. Blood dripped onto sand, its rusty stench permeating the stifling corner.

With a childish fascination, Theo gawked as the edges of his skin stretched, overlapped and merged. Pain faded along with the wound, healing faster than Dante did.

Soon, it was no more; the only proof of its existence being blood on the keys and the sand.

The scene of his father's recovery felt immensely different from witnessing it on his own body. Theo fingered where the wound should have been, enthralled by this new trait of himself. Any negative emotions he previously had dissipated, leaving a tiny feeling of awe in their wake.

"That is…cool," he grinned.

He wondered what other kinds of demons his father-and perhaps his grandfather?-might have fought. Rebellion was a big sword, were the demons larger than the ones he saw? Were the weapons in the back room also demonic? Did his father acquire them by defeating "bosses" like how it worked in video-games? These questions swam happily in his head, until one thought outshone everything else.

"Wait a minute…Since I'm a demon," Theo murmured, the grin on his face slowly growing more confident. "That means I can protect Lea!"

**_"Brave words, Spawn of Sparda."_**

* * *

**Yes, I do realize I haven't updated for two years now. Yes, this chapter wasn't as interesting as the previous ones. You may shoot me in the head and mutilate my corpse however you wish.** **And ending this chapter with another cliffhanger warrants more nasty things you may do to my remains.**

**Good news: I can update the next chapter way sooner than two freaking years. Like, two weeks or something.  
**

**Bad news: I'm gonna be _extremely_ busy after publishing the next chapter.**

**Oh dear cheese...Well, hoped you enjoyed the story (and mutilating me) so far!**


	5. Fury and Regret

The voice was unlike any Theo had ever heard before. Masculine, hushed and eerie, it curled around the boy like tendrils. The cold night grew colder all of a sudden, and the voice spoke again with a tone just as icy.

"Spawn of Sparda, I can smell your blood. Blood of a traitor."

"Who's there?" Theo growled, sounding more courageous than he actually was.

Then, he felt a claw-like hand close over his throat, though he could see neither it nor its owner. A forceful pull had him dragged out from under the slide. His hands scratched at the invisible hold on his neck, struggling to free himself and breathe at the same time. It was strong enough to suffocate, but not quite enough to crush his neck.

Theo was lifted high up into the air. Under the moonlight and with a slowly clouding vision, he could see his captor's appearance.

A pair of crimson eyes, skin darker than shadows and cracked like old statues, and a black cloak obscuring most other features. If he had the strength then, he could have seen two faint, translucent wings, torn and tattered as if their owner had been involved in numerous battles.

A demon, no doubt.

Theo tried to cough, his lungs managed to last thus far, but the grip held on like a vice. Continuing to claw at the cold hand, he choked out his unanswered question.

"W-Who are…y-you?"

Those red eyes failed to falter, primitive bloodlust persisted in its voice as it spoke once more, "I have no name. Sparda has taken it from me, among others that he took from us."

Theo's hand shook midway of its journey down to his pockets. He gasped for air whilst rummaging for the keys inside. Consciousness drifted further, he feared that he would pass out anytime soon.

"Spawn of Sparda, spawn of a spawn. Dante kept my name from me. Return it, return my name."

"S-Stop kidding yourself…!"

A stab from the jagged-edged tumble lock keys was enough to free Theo. Amidst the demon's echoing shrieks, he landed on the artificial sand, coughing and wheezing. The keys stole black blood, viscous as spoilt milk and resembled retched pitch far too much for his liking. He pulled himself together, despite the nausea creeping up his aching throat, and stood.

"Look, whatever my grandpa did has nothing to do with us!" he shouted, flinching when he heard how hoarse he sounded. "So leave my dad and me out of this!"

The demon slinked across the ground like mobile liquid, then reformed itself into its previous manifestation. Its low voice took on an amused tone. "Ah, little spawn. You know not much of who you are..."

Theo was sent flying as a powerful swipe of the demon's claw hit him square on the head. All thoughts fled his mind before pain exploded in his right temple upon contact with a nearby tree trunk, flowing down his face in the form of fresh blood. Rough bark pressed into the new wound in that split-second, it felt as if his head had been slammed into a bed of thumbtacks rather than a tree. His limp body fell to the ground with a soft thud.

A strange numbness suddenly poured from the lesion, spreading ever so slowly and stealing away all senses. He let the welcoming feeling consume him and accepted the oncoming darkness, too weak to resist their advance.

Then, like cannon ball tearing through paper, the demon spoke again.

"Sparda took my name. Dante refused to return it. You refused. Perhaps that _human_ spawn would comply?"

Half-lidded eyes snapped open. Numbness escaped, in terror of an abrupt scorching fury. Theo pushed himself off the ground despite trembling arms. Through the blood that seeped into his right eyes, he glared entire claymores at the demon. His body shook with intensifying anger that sent ripples down every muscle. The keys in his hand glowed off the demonic rage he radiated, their edges sharpening to a degree impractical for keys, but useful at the moment.

"Leave my sister alone," Theo's voice had dropped half an octave, warning dangerously evident in his tone.

The demon, however, remained undaunted. Conversely, it seemed impressed more than anything else. Its crimson eyes followed Theo's blue ones as the boy staggered closer, keys in hand and poised to strike.

Instinct buzzed at the back of Theo's mind and taught him everything that he wished to do in mere seconds, in the language of legacy that relayed far more than mere words could.

There was nothing that signaled the lighting-fast attack.

Theo had vanished, reappeared behind the demon and drove the keys into its back. Unfazed, the demon turned its head a full round to face him, noting the dogged hatred in those blue eyes. Swift as it was, the attack had not been enough to gain an advantage. It could laugh at such human naiveté, but a more pressing interest tugged on its focus.

Clamping its claws on the younger demon's throat yet again, it watched him drop his makeshift weapon and begin a second struggle for air, this time accompanied by childish growls. Petty human needs, where was that fury that seemed to rival the flames of Hell?

"Spawn of Sparda, you are but an infant to me, unknowing of all that you should fear. I am curious, what drives this frenzy of yours?" the demon asked.

Theo felt tears welling up in his eyes. He could not hold on as long as he did before; that short power surge had taken too much of him. Energy drained from his body at an alarming rate, but he could only think of somehow protecting his father and sister.

After he was killed, the demon would surely go after them.

"Please…I-I can't return y-your name," he gasped, unintentionally ignoring the question posed to him. "But I-I'll…give you a n-new name."

"Oh? Pray tell, what are your terms, then?"

"J-Just…leave my family alone…"

The demon smirked. This little spawn was human, not in existence but in nature; no doubt that Dante brought him up as such. So many things he had yet to learn, it found this very intriguing.

"Alright. What name will you grant me?"

Theo did not have the energy to think up a proper designation, by then, he was already slipping away into oblivion. He whispered the first word that came into his mind and slid his eyes shut.

The last things he heard were gunshots and his father's voice yelling his name.

* * *

Dante sighed. He thanked Trish quietly, who had just finished bandaging the unconscious Theo's head, and pulled up a chair to sit beside the bed.

"Theo, you idiot," his whisper ran along another sigh.

Honestly, going up against a demon on his own like that…It was too reckless to believe, even for his hothead of a son. And, dear god, his heart nearly stopped when he saw Theo held by the neck, bloodied face and all, in the hands of that demon. He recognized it, and was pretty sure it bore a grudge against him, which made things infinitely worse.

"Well, we know who he got_ that_ from," Trish chuckled quietly, interrupting his train of thoughts.

Dante smiled in reply. Years of friendship taught him Trish's subtle ways of consolation. He appreciated her effect, but worry reigned over most of his thoughts and any amount of cheer failed to pass. Brushing a lock of pale hair from Theo's face, he reflected on the volatility of his son, conveyed to him in the hardest way possible. He inwardly wondered if he really should have told him the truth. Theo was only ten, after all…

"Father? Miss Trish?" Lea's timid penetrated the silence like a warm light, originating from the head peeking out behind the door. "W-Will Brother be alright?"

"Of course. He just needs to rest," Trish answered for Dante.

There were certain things about Theo's condition that she decided not to reveal, certain things still too much for a child to handle, no matter how mature Lea was for her age.

"But why does he need to be bandaged? Is his injury very serious?" came the even more anxious response.

Dante got up from his chair and placed a hand on her head gently. He mustered up enough courage to give her a small grin.

"He's gonna be fine, Lea. Some injuries just…take a bit longer to heal, that's all."

"B-But-"

"Lea, I'll need you to take care of your brother while he's asleep," he quickly changed the subject. "Can you do that for me?"

Judging by her meek nod, he assumed that Lea understood why he did so. He smiled one last time and left the room without another word. Trish followed suit, but not before relaying some short words of comfort to the worried girl. A part of her felt bad for withholding details of Theo's wound, and yet she sensed a need to protect her from that information.

"So…how's the boy?"

When Trish came out of the room, she found Dante in a one-sided glaring battle. The dull red eyes of his adversary stared back mockingly, as if it was amused by the anger.

"Like you give a shit? If Theo didn't already name you, I would've shot your goddamned guts out," Dante spat.

"Your son's a curious one. I do believe no one would ever think of a name like 'Engel' for one such as myself," the demon replied, spidery fingers stroking its chin thoughtfully. "Suppose it holds a special significance to the boy?"

Dante's glare intensified. As he strode past in false calm, his voice grew hushed and silent rage seethed into every word that followed.

"One wrong move and I swear I'll _make sure_ you die for real this time."

Engel kept its eyes on the demon hunter's face, a smirk crossing its stone like features, and chuckled, "Of course, Dante."

"I assume you will be watching me as well?"

Trish openly scowled at it. She heard of its past, but its existence alone irked her. Not even repentant of its actions, going as far as to threaten a young boy's life-demon or not, Theo was still a child-and speaking so smugly, it took a lot for her to refrain from frying this bastard demon with all the electricity she spared. It would be futile, nonetheless, now that Engel had been named. Though nothing could actually stop her from trying, now was not the time.

"_Watch you?_ Please, I've better things to do," she drew out each syllable condescendingly, despite knowing full well that Engel would only laugh, as if it was a joke rather than an insult. Before the demon could do so, however, Trish strutted down the hallway and was soon out of sight.

Engel continued to smirk and turned its sight to the closed bedroom door. With a name, it could unleash its full potential anytime it wanted, while still having to honor his vow to the name-giver. For now, it merely wished to observe the twins.

"Two halves make a whole, huh? How intriguing," it snickered.

* * *

**I lied. I took less than two weeks, but there's something odd about this chapter that I can't exactly pin down. If you also find something weird, please do tell me so that I can fix it or clarify any doubts. Hopefully, they will be answered/fixed by the next chapter, which I will try to update sooner. Once again, I apologize for the two-year wait.  
**

**...I sound so damn formal. Anyway! Thanks for reading and putting up with my nonsense (two years, cough). Do leave a review if you have the time or are not angry at me :)**


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